WASHINGTON (June 18, 2014) — The Senate Energy Committee today considered yet another political ploy by some in Congress to force construction of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, which will worsen climate change and jeopardize communities along its route.

Anthony Swift, an attorney in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s International Program, made this statement concerning the Keystone XL vote:

“This latest vote on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is all about politics and bad policy. Locking ourselves into a massive infrastructure to move the dirtiest oil on the planet for the next 50 years would greatly worsen carbon pollution -- at a time when we’re facing growing and grievous costs wrought by climate change. Instead, lawmakers should be supporting policies that foster our transition to a clean energy future.''

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.